Letters to the Editor for July 22

The costs for building permits in Thurston County continue to rise. However the government cutbacks and layoffs have resulted in delays in permit application reviews and site inspections.

While I understand the need for controlled spending during these tough times, the permit fees we pay should protect the taxpayers from being victimized by those cutbacks. We pay the inflated prices for those services up front.

There should be no delays in the service we receive. The last place cutbacks should occur is in the area of services that are paid for directly by the taxpayer — the customer.

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My husband and I were having a conversation one recent week on organ donation. He mentioned he had opted out, I told him I was still registered.

The conversation turned to what I would like done should I pass first. Little did I know I was about to receive a lesson on organ/tissue donation in Washington state.

I urge everyone on the organ donor registry to visit the site www.donatelifetoday.com and see just what could happen unless you specify to them what you would like done.

I did not know that saying YES to organ and tissue donation would provide my legal consent to donate all organs and tissues for both transplant and research.

Please make sure your family knows exactly what you would like done in the event of your passing, and make sure it’s done your way.

Personally, I am not against organ donation. I am just wondering how many other organ donors in Washington didn’t realize the full extent of their decision.

KIM SCHLEY, Rainier

Independence is freedom

Recently we celebrated the Fourth of July. In celebrating it, I thought what responsibility does an individual have if he/she wants freedom.

The answer I came up with was as follows: The individual must be prepared to take care of himself/herself.

If that individual is dependent on another individual or entity, that person does not have the freedom that he/she would have if he/she was not dependent on some person or entity.

If you want freedom, be prepared to provide for yourself.

JIM MINTON, Olympia

Explore candidates’ entire record

There’s gotta be more ... I am speaking to the stunning recommendation by letter writer Kris Goddard that voters make their decisions on Olympia City Council based on their position on the isthmus.

Where is the analysis?

What is their track record on other issues?

How do their experiences compare?

What is their decision making style?

Do you want facts, upon which to base your vote?

The one-liner can’t be enough!

Council members make hundreds of decisions every year. Positions critical to our public safety, financial viability, vision for the community, etc. Voters should be looking at the whole of a candidate’s breadth.

Yes, a candidate’s position on the isthmus is a legitimate decision to be factored in. Do you know what candidates stand for in addition to this one issue?

A civics lesson lies here — about doing the analysis to determine which are the best candidates for office.

KATHY BAROS FRIEDT, Olympia

Michael Jackson will be outperformed

Michael Jackson not only had no childhood, he had no life; he became the projection of what his fans wanted him to be.

Watching his memorial, I couldn’t help but feel that those who performed were mourning their own deaths; their projections no longer had a stage.

Many proclaim there will never be another MJ.

However, another will come along who will allow this pathological projection, and another king will be born and more records will broken (pun unintended).

It’s irrational to assume that MJ’s net worth derived from entertainment revenue will ever rival Shakespeare’s or that no one will outperform MJ in the future. Other artists have sold more albums, and this is remarkable when one considers that he had the opportunity to market his wares to the largest and richest population in all of history during an era of technological media explosion.

While Jackson undoubtedly had a heart for the needy, he certainly was not the greatest philanthropist of all time. Not only have many given significantly more to the poor, they did not use the resources of others to do so.

Michael Jackson deserves credit for his sensational music videos, great dance and stage innovations, song writing and delightful imagination. That he was the current “King of Pop” is unarguable.

Nonetheless, seeing him elevated during his memorial service to the stature of a Christ-like figure was a bit much, and I couldn’t help but question what this says about the psychopathology of our modern culture.

RANDY BAUGH, Union

Obama must honor small business owners

Since the 1940s every president, Democrat and Republican alike have said the backbone of this country is small business.

Listening to Obama, I have yet to hear him talk about small business to any degree.

If he wants to give billions of dollars away give it to entrepreneurs who are more capable and intelligent than anyone we have put in office.

Do not forget, this country was started by people with a vision, not by a bunch of people living the life of luxury telling us what is best. Let them live as we do for a while.